


Darktown

by pi3pr0xy



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Anders is mentioned once or twice, Cullen (am i in love with my best friend) rutherford, F/F, F/M, Fenris and Sebastian are already in an established relationship, Garrett (these two dancers are 2hot4me) Hawke, M/M, Multi, Poor Hawke, but he is not a main character, but the main ship is Fenris/Sebastian/Garrett, cullen and Hawke are bros, cullen has a sexual crisis, magic mike au, the gang owns a strip club, there will be some violence in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-02-09 23:16:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12898944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pi3pr0xy/pseuds/pi3pr0xy
Summary: "Driving home with Sir Barkley breathing into his ear, a thought keeps occurring. Okay so, he isn't gonna lie. The thought of stripping had come up once.. or twice. He just knows that he would be good at it.Like really good at it."aka Garrett Hawke needs a job and his friend has just the position for him.





	1. Chapter One: A poor Garrett Down on his Luck

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, so I couldn't resist a good magic mike au because they are my favorite. Because Honestly the plot of magic mike was so fast and ridiculous but SO enjoyable. Also Garrett is my beautiful trash boy and I relate to him on a metaphysical level.  
> Also I love that good good Garrett/Cullen and Fenris/Seb friendship. That's the stuff. 
> 
> Anyway, Enjoy!

# Chapter One

Fucking garbage. Garbage everywhere. Physically, metaphorically. Maybe he could coerce someone into cleaning his apartment for him. Someone like Cullen, or maybe bribing his brother with food. His cooking skills were amazing. That could definitely work. And he once saw Carver sneak leftovers out of his fridge last time he was here. 

Garrett kicks a few articles of clothing out of his path as he makes his way to the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, he notices that he looks like shit. His beard isn't trimmed, his shirt has a hole in it, and what is up with his hair? It's sticking out in ways he'd never seen it before. 

Down on his luck is an understatement.

The job search is becoming more and more draining. With two useless degrees and only a few years real world experience, no corporate fish were biting. With a sigh, Garrett begins trimming his short, but messy beard. He can't get discouraged now. He needs to pay rent. He needs to feed his dog. He needs to-

Fuck.

He forgot his dog.

He also needs to fuck, but that will come later. 

“Shit, shit, shit, Cullen is going to MURDER me.” He had completely forgotten to pick up Sir Barkley from Cullen's apartment after visiting his mom. Why is everyone but him in his family allergic? 

Garrett quickly throws the trimming scissors down and runs out into the living room. Grabbing his zip up hoodie and keys, he sprints to the door.

Garbage is also an accurate term for his car. An old PT Cruiser. With old seats,an old radio, old leather, and Garrett is pretty sure there is something growing in his cup holder. But he can't focus on that. Resist the urge to clean. Even though his brain is screaming to latch onto that urge and never let go because it is a rarity. 

In little time, he makes it to Cullen's apartment, which is only a few roads down. Not even bothering to lock his car and bursts out the driver's sides and heads up a flight of stairs at the front of Cullen's complex. He can hear Sir Barkley barking.

Oh no.

Sir Barkley is barking. He probably smells him.

He moves faster, and then pauses outside of his best friend's apartment, knocking quickly.

The door opens so fast, Garrett's hair rustles, as his fist is in mid-knock. 

“Garrett.” An exasperated Cullen, breaths through clenched teeth. “You said a few hours. Three tops.”

“I know, Cullen, I am so so-”

“It's been seven hours, Garrett. Seven.” Cullen steps back, as Sir Barkley seems to notice his owner returning to him. “And as much as I love this dog I don't- oof!” Cullen is jostled roughly as a giant Husky surges forward and into Garrett's arms. He hoists him up as if the dog weighed nothing (He prides himself on his beef-cake appearance) and rubbed his face into the Husky lovingly. 

“Ah! How's my good boy? I bet you were so well behaved. I missed you so much!” Garrett lowers the dog to the ground and immediately turns to Cullen, still petting his happily whining dog. “Yo, I am so sorry. My mom ended up taking me out to dinner and we were talking about my future and whatever. I lost track of time. But I will make it up to you! I swear!”

Cullen, who couldn't hide a smile as he watched his friend interact with the dog- 'Good. He still loves me.' Garrett thinks quickly- turns to walk towards his kitchen. 

“Alright. You can come in, instead of standing out there and have a cup of coffee with me, for starters. I made a pot.”

Garrett beamed. Cullen was obsessed with coffee. What was it? 9 pm? But Garrett was happy to oblige if it meant Cullen wasn't mad at him anymore. “Come on, boy.” He patted his leg and the Husky happily followed him back into the apartment. Shutting the door behind him, Garrett stepped into the clean, and completely the opposite of his, apartment. It was in this moment that Garrett wished he had said yes when Cullen asked if he needed a roommate. Maybe he would be able to walk around his kitchen without having to brush crumbs off the bottom of his feet every few seconds. Cullen turns to him as Garrett leans across the bar. 

“You look like shit.”

“Gee, thanks. Really needed that confidence boost today.”

Cullen chuckled and looked like he was about to say something until his expression became displeased, looking past Garrett.

“Hey, Sir Barkley! Please get off the couch.”

“Hey, get down. That's a good boy.” The husky reluctantly got off the couch and dejectedly walked over to the plush dog bed Cullen had bought for when he was over.

“Sorry, Sir Barkley. You know the rules.” Cullen gave the dog a sympathetic look. Just as quickly as he broke away from the conversation, he jumped right back in with “Anyway, how's the job hunt going?”

“Oh we're diving right into that now are we?”

“You know better than I do, that you're going to go stir crazy in that apartment all by yourself. And also there's... you know... bills. And stuff.” He poured some coffee into a cup that had the words “World's Okay-est Boss” on it, and handed the cup to Garrett. He took it without hesitation and immediately began sipping it. The coffee is actually burning his taste buds right off, but it is now a matter of pride as Cullen looks at him pointedly. “You do that every time. The coffee is hot.”

“Fire cannot kill a dragon.”

Cullen snorts. Garrett can't feel his tongue. 

“What have you been looking into so far.” Cullen pries again, pouring another cup for himself. This time the cup is in the shape of an octopus, with it's tentacle forming the handle. 

“Well. You know. Customer Service. Some labor. Construction? Really anyone that seems willing to take me, honestly.”

“Fair. Any luck?”

“Well... No one is willing to take me. Yet!” Garrett sets the coffee down, folds his arms across the counter and place his chin down. “I'll get there.”

“Why don't you do something with the degree you have? You could definitely teach dance, or something like that.”

“There are no dance studios around here who are hiring. Trust me, I have sent in applications already. Turned down by mostly all of them.” He picks his head back up and moves his hand out from under his chin to grab at the warm cup of coffee. “Guess no one wants a college dancer with no real world experience, you feel me? I should have gone right into a studio internship or something.” 

Cullen nods his head thoughtfully. Then he smirks.

“I mean... You could always strip. It's a good fallback plan.”

“Oh, definitely. I heard they have great dental.” Garret quips back. “And I've been wanting to show off my new silk underwear I got on one of my impulse Target runs.”

Cullen practically coughs into his coffee as he has it to his lips. Garrett hardly notices the faint twinge of red that blossoms on his cheeks. 

“I bet it looks great.” Cullen recovers. 

Garrett laughs and glances at his dog. “Well, in any case I'll think of something.” Garrett lifts himself completely off the counter and downs his still pretty warm coffee. “Thanks for letting me chill for a bit. I'll get this one out of your hair.” He gestures towards Sir Barkley, whose ears are now perked up due to the Garrett acknowledging him. 

“No problem. Let me know if you need help with anything okay?”

“Absolutely. We still on for Thursday?”

“Would I ever miss it?”

“Nah, you love bad movies too much. It's how I summon you.”

Driving home with Sir Barkley breathing into his ear, a thought keeps occurring. Okay so, he isn't gonna lie. The thought of stripping had come up once.. or twice. He just knows that he would be good at it. 

Like really good at it. 

And that might be because he took several pole dancing classes as a substitute for his spin classes. He hated spin classes. He ended up liking pole dancing. But it was only those couple times. And he is very top heavy.

Is he too stacked to be a stripper?

No way. 

Maybe?

Nah, he's seen some beefy strippers before. Heck, he DATED a beefy stripper before. 

OK, wait. This is starting to be conceivable. 

He could call his old flame up, ask him where he works. He knows it was in town. Maybe... 

It's worth a shot. Right? Aedan made good money. 

Shit, this isn't sounding too bad. 

Immediately when he got home, he fills Sir Barkley's water bowl. The dog marches right on over to it. Garrett pats his furry friend and makes his way to the kitchen where he last saw his phone. 

Ok, all he has to do is dial the number and ask. That's it. Easy-peasy.

What was it again? 704-something-something-something-55-something-something? That doesn't feel right.

Oh wait, nope, he's got it. It's ringing.

After the third ring, the phone picks up. 

“Cousland, here.” Says the voice on the other line. Garrett hears faint sounds of music and some sort of clinking?

“Hey, Aedan. It's Garrett.”

“Oh Garrett! I'm sorry, buddy; I should have recognized your number! Got a new phone recently. How are you?”

Garrett feels a small pang of guilt for not keeping in touch.

“Oh you know, I'm great. Um.. I'm actually job hunting at the moment.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, so... I have a quick question.”

“...Go on.”

“Well, I was thinking, and what with my background in dance and my lack of options at the moment, I-”

“You want to be an adult dancer?”

Garrett is caught off guard at the question. Well, this made it easier.

“Maybe. I mean, I was talking to a friend about dance and-”

“I remember when I first saw you on our way to class. Didn't think you'd be able to dance at all. Boy, you sure proved me wrong.” Aedan laughs. 

Garrett can't help but chuckle along.

“Yeah, and I thought 'this is the most stereotypical dancer I have ever seen.' And boy, did you prove me right.” Aedan laughs a little harder. Garrett had missed that. 

“Actually,” Aedan stops laughing for a moment, “We are a dancer down. One of ours just quit, and Bella is freaking out.”

“Bella?”

“Isabela. Our boss.”

“Ah.”

“Can you stop by?”

“When? Now?”

“Yeah, I'll text you the address. If you hurry, maybe you can fill the spot.”

“Tonight?!”

“No,” Aedan laughs again, “We do not have time to teach you choreography. I meant to get your foot in the door and possibly talk to Bella.”

Garrett breaths a sigh of relief.

“Yes, of course. I'll be there.”

“It would be doing us a solid for sure. See you when you get here.”

“I'll text you when I'm at the front.”

“Alright, Garrett. Can't wait to see you.”

“You too!” Then Aedan hung up. 

What a whirlwind. That was... easy? Wow. Lucky? Yes. Garrett puts the phone in his pocket.

Wait. Oh no, his untrimmed beard! 

Oh no, his HAIR.

He quickly runs to his bathroom, taking off his hoodie and throwing it on the couch, and picks back up his trimming scissors, tackling his beard, quickly. That will have to do. He, then, runs his hands through his hair, desperately.

“Good enough.”

Should he put on better clothes? He has on jeans, he's sure that's fine. A nicer shirt? At least one with no holes. 

He steps into his room and rummages through various piles of clothes on the ground until he finds a red flannel. 

“Good enough!” He shouts again. 

He rushes out, quickly putting it over his under shirt. Grabbing his keys and wallet, he barely manages a “Be back later, Sir Barkley. I love y-” as he rushes out the door. Hurriedly, he locks the door to his apartment and sprints to his Cruiser. 

The club is bigger than he remembered. The parking lot is a lot fuller than he remembered to. He approaches the entrance to the dark brick building. The sign on the front face reads, “Darktown.”

Stepping up to the large red doors, he opens one and enters the building. Immediately, he is hit with the smell of a fog machine and perfumed air freshener. He can hear music pounding behind a set of open black doors where purple hued lights filter into the fluorescent lit hallway, and shouts from men and women pepper the music. Guarding the door however, is a very well built woman with fiery red hair.

She could most certainly beat Garrett up. And Garrett would say thank you.

Garrett opens his phone and quickly shoots a text to Aedan. He looks up at the woman dressed in black, who seems to have noticed him.

“Uhhhh, hi.” Garrett approaches her the way a mouse would approach a tiger. “I'm Garrett? Garrett Hawke?”

“Oh, yes. Aedan said you would be stopping by.” She gives him a smile that almost blinds him. “You gonna be dancing with us?”

“That's the plan.” She now looks Garrett up and down, and, judging by her facial expression, gives him he seal of approval. 

“You'll do fine.” Garrett hopes his smile appears genuine and not nervous.

“Thank you!”

“What's your routine?”

“My what?”

“Your routine. For your bulk?”

“Oh, I am just naturally like this.”

The woman snorts. It's very cute. “Came out of the womb flexing, huh?”

“Sure did. Bench pressed myself right out of there.” The woman's eyes widen, and after a beat of silence, she gives a bark of a laugh. 

“Gross,” she says as she clams down. “I'm Aveline, by the way. I'm the front bouncer here.”

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Aveline. You have my permission to bounce me whenever you need.” He falls into the joking routine easily and takes pride in Aveline's laugh. 

“Would, but I have my own designated bouncee to bounce. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Garrett.”

Garrett grins, his nerves dying down. “A shame, but not surprised.”

“Garrett!” Aedan's head pops into view behind Aveline's shoulder. “You're here!”

“Aedan!”

“I'm sure you've gotten acquainted with our bouncer, Aveline?”

“We hit it off.” Aveline says point blank, and Garrett beams. 

“Great! Well, come on back! I want Bella to get a look at you. Been talking you up.”

“Oh good, I hope you told her how amazing I am at everything.”

Aveline moves a bit to the side, letting Garrett past.

There must be some hella good sound proofing on those walls in the front room, because it sure is a lot louder than he previously thought. He looks across the filled tables of people yelling and whislting, the the crowd circling the long stage throwing money at two dancers. On either end of the stage, there are catwalks and cages suspended from the ceiling. The bar was opposite the stage on the other end of the large room. 

The number seems like it's ending, and the two dancers on the stage, two very attractive women, were collecting the dollars from the hands of the crowd and the ground. The music stops and a very scantily clad, but still maintaining a sophisticated air, woman steps from behind the curtains that border the back of the stage. Her attire is very glittery and black. It looks like some sort of intricate corset. Garret can't help but be enraptured by her. And damn her body is not one you can tear your eyes from.

“Give it up for Dolly and Shannon, everyone! Those two lovely ladies sure do know how to rile you up!” Her voice is like honey. 

Hoots and hollers accompany her as she whistles. 

“That's Bella. She's like a boss, MC to us. Lovely lady.” Aedan half yells into his ear over the shouts of the crowd. 

“Alright, alright. Settle down, because this next performance requires your full attention.” Isabela lowers her head and places her hands into a praying position while still holding the microphone. 

“Okay, wait, you have to see the opening of this performance.” Aedan speaks lower into his ear. 

“Following in our 'Double Trouble' theme for tonight, is our very own Lone Wolf and his Ken Doll.” Isabela dramatically sweeps her arms towards the curtains and backs away as a spotlight flicks on behind her. 

There in the center of the spotlight, are two men. One was set in a rigid pose and wearing a polo shirt, khakis, that had quite a large seem on the side ('Tear away?' Garrett wonders), and a sweater tied around his shoulders. 

That must be the Ken Doll, Garrett thinks. 

Then, his eyes fall to the man sitting on a black chair in front of the other. And everything else falls away for a moment. 

The guy is hot as fuck. 

Both of them are attractive sure, but Garrett cannot stop looking at this man's face. Strong, hard jaw line, angled features, skin tone he could only describe as 'warm.' His hair is a striking white, and he has slight skin pigmentation differences near his chin and on his chest and oh maker he has his shirt off. 

The ' Lone Wolf' is sitting on a chair in a very seductive pose, wearing nothing but black, leather pants. Garrett barely realizes the music begin to play, as the Lone Wolf rolls his body along the chair's back, and pats his knee, looking at the 'Ken Doll' signaling the other to come. 

“That's Fenris and Sebastian. Great guys. They do a lot of routines together, but they have been working for months on this one. Sebastian takes pride in how still he can get for the doll thing.” Garrett heard Aedan say in a vague direction near him.

The Ken D- Sebastian, moves rigidly, locking his arms and legs in place with each step towards Fenris, like a doll, for sure. Fenris then quickly stands up and flips the chair around underneath him. Damn that was smooth. 

He then sits on the chair legs around the back, as Sebastian makes his way over. Spreading his legs wide, Fenris extends a finger and motions for Sebastian to come closer. He does. As he nears, he comes to a full stop. The music stops as well for a brief moment. 

Fenris gets out of the chair, stern look on his face that makes Garrett's insides flutter with desire. With purpose he takes a few steps to reach Sebastian.

He then immediately rolls his body against him, sliding his hand along Sebastian's chest as the music picks back up. The crowd begins to cheer and whistle and money begins flying. Garrett's already at a half-chub. And it continues as Sebastian now grabs Fenris' hands, breaking from the rigid character, and guides his fingers over his chest.

Fuck. Okay. Cool. A boner is no biggie. It just means that these two are really good at their jobs. It's something he can get over. He can separate it from the work place, if he gets in. Speaking of which...

Aedan is already dragging him through the crowd and through a black door by the stage. Once in the hallway, he turns to Garrett. He tries to blink away the haze of desire. If worse comes to worse he can blame it on the smokey room.

“Great, huh? They kill with that one.”

“Y-yeah,” Garrett, no, your voice cracked on that one. Try again. Be strong! “Yeah! Absolutely, the crowd was loving it!” See? It's fine. 

“Yeah.” Aedan gives him a knowing smile that makes Garrett's skin prickle. “Now let's go meet Bella, she has another girl coming out to announce the end of the night festivities.”

Garrett nods as Aedan leads him to a door near the end of the hallway.


	2. Chapter Two: Raw Talent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first rehearsal and Garrett is feeling the tiny pinpricks of nervousness. Hopefully he won't make too big a fool of himself. And if he does? Hey, he's great at playing it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so easy to write the words just FLOWED. Mostly because I love pole dancing. It's an amazing sport.

#  Chapter Two 

“So, you're Garrett Hawke.”

Garrett sits upright, back straight in a chair that is surprisingly comfy. 

“The one and only.” He fidgets with the edge of the chair.

“You certainly have a nice build. Very handsome.” Isabela gets up from behind her desk. “How much training do you have?”

“Professionally? None,” Hawke winces at his own comment. “But I majored in Dance in college.”

“Where?”

“Boston Conservatory.”

Isabela places her finger tips together in contemplation as she leans against her desk. 

“Garrett, I run a tight ship here. Can I depend on you to get to rehearsals and work on time?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“Alright, why not? You've peaked my interest with the college thing. Can you make our 2:30 rehearsal tomorrow? Show us what you got?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Wear appropriate dance retire.”

“Yes ma'am.” The excitement bubbles up in him. He has to bring his A-game. He knows he can out dance almost anyone. Well, almost knows. 

“Welcome aboard, for now, Hawke.” Garrett stands as she says this and extends his hand.

“Thank you. You won't be disappointed.” He flashes one of his famous smiles. He mentally high fives himself as her features soften. 

“I believe you.” She says. “Now get your cute asses out of here. I have a bunch of dancers to congratulate tonight, and have to get ready for tomorrow.”

“Yes ma'am.”

The next day, Garrett finds himself at Cullen's. After taking Sir Barkley for his morning walk, Garrett could not sit still. The excitement is too much. Finally, he has a reason to put on non-pajama clothes. Although, one should not underestimate his willingness to sleep in his dance gear. After all it was just leggings and a tank top. He could take off his black sneakers. He also had his lucky hoodie wrapped around his waist but he could use that for extra cushion. 

Hoodies were good for impromptu pillows. 

Shit, now he hopes he doesn't fall asleep at rehearsal. 

“You got an offer?” Cullen places a cup of coffee in front of him, looking excited for Garrett. The cup is black with the word “meh.” written on it in white. Hawke takes the warm cup in his hands and immediately sips it. No nerves on his tongue. No problem. Cullen gives him a disappointed glance from above his own coffee cup, shaped like a unicorn, the tail being the handle. 

“Yeah,” Garrett says gingerly, trying to rub the burn off of his tongue using the top of his mouth.

“And it's a dance gig? That you got... last night?”

“Y-yeah.” Garrett says quickly. He doesn't know how to tell Cullen. It's not like he's ashamed or anything. He just knows Cullen is more... Conservative. Less pressure on his friend, he tells himself. “Friend called up, knowing I was looking. A dance studio!”

“Garrett, that's great! Are you teaching?”

“Yeah! Totally am. It's a dream come true.” Garrett takes another large gulp of his coffee. Yep, that's still scalding. “Got my first class at 2:30 today.” He grits out. 

“That's great!” Cullen seems genuinely happy for him. Push the guilt back, Garrett. It's cool, It's chill. Why is he not telling him?

He's too deep now. Dive deeper. Really hit it home.

“They said I might have 4 or 5 students.” What? Why is he still talking?

“See? I knew you'd find something you love. And you look great in dance clothes.”

“Yeah. Oh shit, look at the time. I need to get going.” Garrett checked his watch not even hearing his friends words of encouragement. 

“Oh, alright. Text me after so I know how it went.” Cullen picks up the not quite empty coffee cup from where Garrett has placed it. 

“Yeah, deffo.”

 

The studio of the club is actually very impressive. It was in the back of the building and it actually has windows. The lighting is incredible. Big open space with two poles on either side from the ceiling to the floor. 

As Garrett enters the room, bag of normal clothes to change into and water bottle, he immediately spots Fenris and Sebastian. They both have their hair pulled back in small ponytails. Very cute. Both wearing crop tops. Hella cute. They are lazily stretching and chatting with each other and Oh. Oh boy they are flexible. Garrett can feel his face heating up.

“Garrett!” Aedan comes rushing to him, “You're here!”

Garrett snaps back into his body. 

“Yeah, man! Why wouldn't I be?” Aedan claps him on the back. 

“Here I'll introduce to everyone. First our crew.” To Garrett's surprise, Aedan leads him back out the door. He leads him down the hall and into the stage room. There are a couple people at the bar, and it's actually kind of peaceful under the fluorescent and without all of the people.

Aedan leads him directly to the back of the room and plops him down on a bar stool. 

At the bar, Garrett's eyes immediately go to a very cute woman with short brown hair pouring drinks. She has the EXACT opposite of resting-bitch face. Resting-cute face. 

Leaning across the bar next to her is a rather short man with blonde hair, a smile that could light up a room on his face. 

'Could save money on the fluorescents.' Garrett thinks. 

Aedan slams his hand on the bar the minute he reaches it and the cute woman jumps. The shorter man seems unfazed. 

“Aedan! You keep doing that and I'll put a restriction on your alcohol every night. I'll do it!”

“Yeah, I wouldn't test Daisy here. She means business.” The shorter man winks at the girl behind the bar. 

“I'm sorry, Merrill. It won't happen again.” Aedan states genuinely. “Besides, I'd like you all to meet someone.” He claps Garrett on the shoulder, giving him a little shove towards the bar. “Varric, Merrill... This is Garrett Hawke. He's gonna be our new dancer.” Aedan beams. 

“Ah, so this guy's going to replace Blondie, huh?” Varric looks up at Garrett with a grin that reminds him of family. Merrill eyes him suspiciously. 

“Is he any good?” she says.

“Oh, totally,” Aedan starts, but Garrett asserts himself a little more towards the bar and flashes a grin. 

“Well, I'd like to think so. Actually, this is my first practice.”

“Well, then you should practice then, Garrett. Not that you need any strength training.” She gestures towards Garrett's arms. He blushes. For some reason, these people already feel like friends. 

Wait.

He is replacing someone? I guess Aedan did say they were a dancer down. He wonders what happened to...”Blondie?” Was it? But he thinks better than to ask on his first day.

“Garrett,” Aedan starts, “This is Merrill. She is our resident bar keep. And Isabela's favorite.”

Merrill gasps, “Ah! Aedan, don't say such things. I am not.” Garrett does not miss the blush that spreads across her cheeks. 

“And this handsome fellow,” He claps Varric on the shoulder, “Is Varric Tethras, DJ extraordinaire.”

“Aw shucks, stretch.” Varric jokingly places his hand over his heart in mock fondness towards Aedan. 

“It is very nice to meet you both.” Garrett says looking between the two. 

At that moment the door near the stages bursts open and Garrett whips his head around at the noise. 

Isabela is standing at the doorway looking amused, but impatient. 

“Boys... We have rehearsal? Hmm?” Garrett immediately feels like a child in trouble. Aedan simply smiles. 

“Coming, ma'am. Anyway, see you guys later.” he turns back to Merrill and Varric. “Come on, Garrett.” And with that Aedan bounds off. Garrett's turn to address the two at the bar. 

“Again, it was super lovely to meet you.” He says, backing up a bit. 

“You're gonna do great, kid. Just relax and go with it.” Varric gives him a thumbs up. 

“Yes, you'll do fine.” Merrill adds. Garrett gives them a genuine smile. 

“Thanks. See you around.” And he quickly follows Aedan into the hallway towards the dance room. 

Back in the dance room, Aedan and Garrett follow Isabela to the center. 

“Everyone,” Aedan puts his hand on Garrett's shoulders, “This is Garrett Hawke! He's gonna be starting out as a new dancer.”

Everyone smiles at him and Aedan begins naming everyone off, each person returning a smile or a wave. When he gets to Fenris and Sebastian, Fenris gives him a curt wave and Sebastian smile warmly. 

They are... hotter up close. Stop it, Garrett, these are coworkers now. 

About an hour into rehearsal, and Garrett still hasn't done anything. Is it almost the end? Was he supposed to just be watching?

Although he can't say he minds. Fenris and Sebastian are …. talented, to say the least. They work the pole like they are only made of muscle and nothing else. Lighter than a feather. Garrett feels a sensation in his gut, familiar and alarming. 

Is he turned on or just nervous? Is that the same emotion? The human body is an enigma. 

The two dancers look great together.

“Hawke.” Isabela's voice brings him out of his thoughts. “I'm gonna have Maxwell, here, teach you some moves. We are gonna work up to choreography for a group number you three will be doing.” She gestures towards two men. Both of them, of course, attractive, what is with this place?

“A- Ah, yeah. Sure!” Hawke stands, legs a little prickly from falling asleep. 

“First you need to stretch,” Maxwell says walking up to Hawke handing him a towel as he stood. “Also, if you use any lotion or anything, you may want to get that off.”

“Thanks, man.” Garrett says accepting the towel from Maxwell. 

“You can just call me Max. I hate 'Maxwell'. Zev, get over here.” He looks to the other man walking over. 'Zev' was slightly smaller than Max or Garrett. 

"I'm the lift guy.” Zev says in a heavy accent. “You can call me Zevran, for now.” Zevran holds his gaze for a moment, and then winks. 

“Always the flirt.” Max breathes out. “Well, anyway Garrett, I'd like to see what you can do on a pole. Just a basic move, any move.”

Garrett felt a punch of nervousness again.

“Uh, yeah. For sure. Cool cool cool.” Garrett steps over to the pole and Zevran walks ahead of him, wiping the pole down. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Garrett,” Max starts, “Are you right handed or left handed?”

“Left.”

“Ah! A rare breed!” Zevran laughs. Max chuckles along. 

“Then, start with your left hand.”

“Got it.”

Ok Garrett, stretch a little, loosen up. Your pole dancing classes are finally coming in handy. Take that, Carver!

Note to self: Don't actually tell that to Carver or Bethany or Mother. 

Garrett rolls his hips a bit in a stretch, left hand on the pole, flicking his gaze around the room subconsciously until he sees Fenris and Sebastian watching. He immediately retracts his stare. 

Oh. Okay. No pressure. He has this. Plant your foot, Garrett. 

He plants his foot. Ok, what next. Think. 

Grabbing the pole around face level, Garrett straightens his arm so that he is leaning a bit, and pivots his foot at the base of the pole, stepping around the pole. Bending at the knees, he transfers his weight to the other foot, wrapping his previously planted leg around the pole and bringing it up as he straightens. He completes a full turn, hooking his leg on the pole, then arches his back. It's fluid, or at least it feels like it. Garrett is actually quite proud of himself. 

“Not bad, super simple, but executed well.” He hears Isabela's voice. “Now do more. I wanna see you incorporate some floor work.”

Garrett clenches. Floor work? After a simple move like that? Is this a test? 

You know what? Hell yeah, Garrett has this. Floor work is good. He knows how to use space. Just be sexy, he thinks. He glances up to make sure Fenris and Sebastian are watching. What is he trying to do, impress them?

Maybe. 

He meets Fenris' eyes for a second. Looking quickly back over at Isabela, he asks, “Can I get some music?” He flashes a confident smile. Fake it til you make it, Garrett. 

He hears Zevran laugh. “But of course.” He watched the slim man walk over to a small boombox on a chair, opens the top to check the CD, gives a satisfactory smirk, closes it and then hits play. 

Garrett can barely contain his grin.

The song that filters through the speakers happens to be one of his favorites. 

Feel It by Jacquees Ft Lloyd & Rich Homie Quan. A classic by Garrett's standards. 

The beat starts slow. 

_I'm I'm I'm I'm gone make you feel it_  


Confidence, Garrett. Give yourself that good internal pep talk. 

He begins stepping around the pole, holding it at face level again, arm extended. 

_I'm I'm I'm I'm gone make you feel it_

Once the major beat hits, Garrett is feeling it. He turns his back to the pole and raises his hands over his head, gripping the pole tight. He sways his hips using the momentum of his arms. He then arches his back and begins to slide down the pole, rolling his hips with each beat. It's gotta look good because Isabela is smiling. He gives her a wink. 

Oh boy, he needs to work on his core. His legs shake a tiny bit. So, he opts to straightening back up, and swinging around the pole once more. 

_Tell me why you wanna be bad_  
_Tell me why you wanna be bad babe_  
_Sweating while you calling me daddy_

Alright, Garrett, show the floor some love. 

Garrett swings wide on the pole, lowering himself. He falters a bit right before he gets the ground, not knowing what position he wants to take. 

This has never been an issue for him before.

He decides to get on his hands and knees and arcs his back inwards, poking his ass out. 

Don't think about how weird the position feels, just go with it. People watching you? No problem, you were in theater. 

The beat drops again, and Garrett spreads his legs a bit and rolls his body over the ground, bouncing his butt a few times for good measure. 

He then picks his body back up, outstretching his leg as support. Once his ass is up, he turns his head towards it and gives it a smack. He hears someone cough. Looking up, he notices Fenris has a hand over his mouth, as if stifling a noise. Garrett grins at him. 

“Alright, alright. Very good.” Isabela claps. Zevran shuts the music off. 

Garrett stands and is immediately disappointed in how sweaty he just got. It's not too much sweat, but the dance moves weren't even hard. 

“Well, Hawke, you got some raw talent. A little too much second guessing, but it's there, at least. ”

“Your form needs a bit of work.” Garrett hears a voice come from Fenris. It's deep. It's serious. And there is a slight smugness that Garrett is very attracted to peppered in there. Garrett stands placing his hand on the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed. 

“Ah, nothing we can't whip out of ya.” Isabela remarks. “Alright, tonight, you come see our full show. It's in a few hours. Watch and see how we work. Then tomorrow, you start choreography.”

“So, I'm in? Officially?” Garrett perks up. 

“Yeah, Hawke. You're in.”


	3. Cullen Needs a Drink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into the mind of Cullen and his unexpected burst of feelings towards his best friend. (This is a little something to wet some appetites while I work on the actual next chapter. Fenris and Sebastian start playing more of a part in it, so don't worry. That good good fenhawke is coming.)

Cullen looks toward the clock above the stove, sighing as he realizes how late it is. 

It's Thursday. 

Movie night.

Where is Garrett?

A wave of annoyance at being kept waiting washes over him. He sets down his mug, which displays the words "Might be Vodka" on the side. 

He walks over to his tv set on an old end table on the other side of his apartment, taking care not to step on the dog bed now tossed to the side after Sir Barkley left last time. He grabs the remote that he keeps underneath the tv and plants himself on the couch. He switches it on and grabs the game controller that was placed next to him.

Why doesn't he keep the controllers with his remote? The thought bothers him.

Before he switches on the console, Cullen takes out his phone and shoots a quick text to Garrett.

**C: Hey. Where are you?**

Waiting. Switching on the console now. Going to Netflix. Looking at phone. Waiting. Watching Netflix. Definitely not "waiting by the phone." Definitely just passing the time until his friend definitely gets here. 

A beep. Cullen grabs his phone quicker than he would like to admit.

 **G: Ayyy almost there**

Cullen lets out a sigh and pauses... whatever he was watching. A food show? He didn't really pay attention. He strides to his kitchen counter, more pep in his step due to finally some acknowledgment from his best friend who has been absent for a couple of days. He picks up his mug and dumps its contents in the sink. He places it next to his coffee maker and takes out another mug in preparation, this one in the shape of a succulent. 

His phone beeps again. 

**G: ooo buddy. gonna b a bit late. had to turn around because i dropped my food on me**

Ugh. That should teach him not to eat in his car. It's dangerous. 

**C: Be Careful.**

Cullen reluctantly holds off on making another pot of coffee and leans his back against the counter. 

Why is this making him so anxious? It's just movie night. They've always done movie night. Is it because Garrett has been MIA for the last couple of days?

He spins his body around and places his hands on the counter top, tapping his finger. He needs this movie night. He hasn't really spoken to anyone the past few days. He needs some social interaction, and Garrett is who he wants to spend it with. All he's been doing is working, drinking coffee, and jerking off. 

It's hot in his apartment, isn't it? He should turn the air to cool. 

Then his thoughts meander elsewhere. 

What was Garrett wearing before the food spillage? Flannel probably. Probably the red one. Dark red. Hugs him a bit tightly. Shows off his arms. Probably looks good while he dances. He probably wears tights too. He probably-

STOP.

He's good. He's good. Slow it down there, Cullen. 

He lifts his head and looks at the ceiling. 

Alright. Okay. Alright. He can admit that his friend is... attractive. That's fine. It's perfectly fine. He has a lot of attractive friends. Attractive men and women surround him all the time. Josephine from work, Bull from his college football team, Dorian from the coffee place, Leliana his boss, Dorian from the coffee place, Casandra who is a childhood friend of his, Dorian from the coffee place... 

Okay. Stop listing. Stop it. 

He has always danced with thought of being romantically inclined to men as well as women. He just never entertained that thought before. 

But Garrett... is just so comfortable to be around. He's so kind and funny. 

Romantically? Maybe. He doesn't know. 

Platonic attraction? Definitely. 

Was that a knock?

Cullen snaps from his thoughts as the sound of knocking pierces through his loud musings. He walks to the door slightly confused as to why Garrett would knock. He then realizes he had locked the door. He quickly swings the door open after unlocking it, and Garrett appears, slightly frazzled in the doorway, wearing- Oh no.

The red flannel is haphazardly open, only slightly covering a white undershirt, tight against his stomach and chest muscles. 

Alright, Cullen, Relax. 

"Cullen! You never lock your door." Garrett says as he pushes in. 

"Sorry, must have done it on accident." Cullen quickly notices the absence of a certain furry friend. "Where's Sir Barkley?"

"Carver took him" Garrett sets his backpack on the floor near the couch, pulling out a couple DVD cases. "Ok, so 'Thankskilling' or 'Poultrygeist'?" His grin looks almost manic. So, it's starting immediately. Good, less time to think about... things.

"Seen Thankskilling-" ("Of course you have." Garrett mumbles.) " But I haven't seen Poultrygiest. What's it about?"

"Well... Um... the back says 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead is cinema’s first chicken-zombie horror-comedy… with musical numbers!'" He flips the DVD over to read the back.

A beat of silence.

"Well, alright then." Forgetting the coffee he was planning to make, he and Garrett settle down and start movie night.

An hour and a half later, Cullen and Garrett pause the credits of the movie. 

"Wow. That was... everything I expected it to be." Cullen turns to see Garrett's incredulous smile that has been plastered on his face since halfway through the movie. Garrett glances at him briefly before giving a very hearty laugh. 

Cullen feels himself immediately tense at the flash of Garrett's teeth. He face goes a bit hot, and he hears his heart beat for a split second. Just one, small 'ba-dump.' He nervously joins along in the laughter before sitting back into the couch. Garrett leans back to join him after the last few chuckles escape his body. They are actually pretty close right now, physically, Cullen notes. Garrett's hand brushes his as he settles back. 

Not helping. Okay, walk through the motions. The motions of a normal person, who is a normal friend, with no weird tension. 

Garrett has quieted down and is looking at the paused screen, so close Cullen can smell his shampoo. Surprisingly floral. His hand is tingling from where Garrett had accidentally bumped it.

Cullen switches his gaze back to the pause screen as well, somehow growing more and more aware of the sound of their own breathing. He hears Garrett breath out a little. Can he feel this too? What is happening?

Of course, you would have to be the most oblivious person on earth to not feel this tension, as thick as it is.

Worried his face is a bit red, he turns his head to face Garrett who is currently sneaking a glance at him. Are Garrett's cheeks as red as his? He can't really tell. What should he do? He feels as if the silence has gone on too long and now everything is getting more awkward by the moment. He should say something. Anything. Make a noise, Cullen!

"Uh-"  
"I-"

The two stop and realize they are speaking over each other. Both laugh a little nervously. Cullen ducks his head down to scratch at the back of his neck, a nervous habit. 

"Um, what is happening?" Garrett speaks up, still smiling a bit. A good sign.

"I-" Cullen started not knowing how to address anything, "I'm not sure." Then, immediately there is an urge to surge in and press his lips against Garrett's. He holds back. That's too much. Is he actually feeling this? Is he lonely? Horny? This is not a romantic attraction, he's sure. But physically? Yes. Very. 

He just wished he could tell what Garrett was thinking. 

Garrett coughs slightly.

Cullen mirrors the cough. "I don't really know. Maybe we've just been very busy lately, and forgot how to hang out?" Yes, that's right, Cullen. Feign obliviousness. Joke about it. Chuckle nervously. What Cullen does best. However, Garrett begins to look unsure, and Cullen finds himself wanted to wipe it from his face. He begins again. "I... I won't lie to you. I'm a little tense. There is... a tension. And that's fine."

Garrett pauses for a second.

Then he blurts out, "Is anyone else, like, a little horny?" At this, Cullen jerks his head up so fast he could hear his neck crack. 

And he bursts out in laughter.

The tension dissolves. An ease washes over Cullen as he wipes a tear from his eye. 

"The most ridiculous part of this is that we just finished watching 'Poultrygiest.'" Now, it is Garrett's turn to bark out a laugh.

"We are so weird." Garrett sighs.

"We really are." Silence pervades the room again, but more comfortable this time. Cullen is still mulling over the tension that was just there, and can't quite shake it. He definitely knows that he is attracted to Garrett now. Best friends can find each other attractive; its alright. As long as Garrett is oblivious to his internal crisis. 

"Well," the other man sighs, sitting up from his position, "I guess I should relieve my brother of dog duty."

Cullen, slightly disappointed, sits up as well. "Oh, yes. Wouldn't want Sir Barkley to eat too many treats."

"I tell him every time not to overdo it on the treats, and every time he disappoints me."

Cullen follows Garrett to the door after he has gathered his things and placed the DVD back into its case. Cullen crosses his arms as a weird nervousness overtakes him.

"Am I going to see you this weekend? Want to go get coffee?"

"Sure! And I am going to ignore the fact that you don't want to go there just for the coffee." Garrett wiggles his eyebrows. Ah, yes. He now remembers telling Cullen about Dorian. Cullen uncrosses his arms and lifts his hand to his face in mock offense.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Garrett laughs again, and lowers his gaze.

He lingers at the door for a moment. Neither really saying anything, but looking as if he wants to. 

"I'll, um... see you Saturday, then?"

"Yeah, we can talk about your new job." Cullen thought his tone was amicable, but Garrett looks uneasy at that. Cullen takes note, but the other man quickly shifts into his signature smile.

"Of course! Welp, see you then!" He waves a bit and turns to the complex's stairs. 

Cullen shuts the door behind him, and insecurity seeps in to every crack of his resolve. He hopes that it mulled over well. Did he make things weird between them? He needs to shake off this anxiety. Or shake something. Get rid of this nervous tension. Not think about this for a bit. He quickly grabs his phone from the couch and sends one final text before heading off to bed, slightly anxious, but confident. The phone almost immediately beeps and Cullen smiles at the message. 

Yeah, things are fine. 

**C: Text me when you get home.**

**G: Yes, mom. ;)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, Thankskilling and Poultrygiest are real movies that one of my irl best friends has shown me


	4. Chapter 4: Hook, Line, and Teaser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last rehearsal before the big first night being a part of the show. And Garrett wants to impress a certain someone. (This is a teaser for the next chapter, which AGAIN, I am still working on. A lot of stuff to come, but work has me crazy busy.)

# Chapter Four

It took only a week for Garrett to learn the choreography for the group number, thanks to his years of modern dance. A saucy, little jaunt to the song “Sex You” by Bando Jones.

Garrett is LIVING.

He loves the moves, and Max came up with them himself?! The guy was talented. Crazy talented.

And Zev? That guy could move! And Garrett is loving how in sync they all were. Whenever they practiced, Garrett would watch them in the mirror and just marvel at how good they've gotten in just a week. Today they move to the stage for their final rehearsal before the show tonight.

Garrett is... excited as fuck.

Stretching by the row of poles near the edge of the stage, Garrett turns to face his two favorite onlookers sitting in the audience. Fenris and Sebastian. With the lights on and them being the only two out there, its a great chance to see their expressions during the rehearsal.

They had been watching him, he knew. Every rehearsal they would pause what they were doing to watch. And every rehearsal Garrett would throw them a wink or a smile, which Sebastian politely returned. Fenris is a bit harder to crack. He's so...

Professional.

And hot.

“Alright! Are we ready to begin?” Zevran says walking in with the boombox.

“Yep, we're all set.” Max places two chairs on center stage and motions for Garrett to sit on the far left chair.

Garrett hops up as Max takes his seat in the other. Zevran walks behind them placing the boombox on the ground and pressing play. The light drops that start the song begin and Zevran turns his back to the audience as Garrett and Max lower their heads. The vocalist starts, and as soon as the beat hits, Zevran whips around and lowers his body sensually between the chairs.

_All these rain drops fallin' down my window_

He moves between the chairs and turns to Max, the back of his body facing the crowd now. Ok, Garrett, lift your head and then turn in the seat to face them. Look interested.

That... is not hard.

_Got me wishin' that we did the things we didn't do_

Zevran places his hands on Max's shoulders, almost rigid.

_And right now I want to sex you_

Immediately, as the beat drops again, Zevran breaks his posture and grinds against Max's leg. Max's large hands place themselves on Zevran's hips and move with his lithe form.

Alright, Garrett, show your acting chops. Look flustered and turn back to face the audience. Look up. Follow the beat. Spread your legs.

As the chorus continues, Zevran spins himself around, facing the audience, and leans down, his ass between Max's legs. Max's legs go wide, and he places his hands on Zevran's back, snaking them up his tank top.

Look more flustered, Garrett. Sneak peeks at them. Remember what Bella said, don't be too showy.

As the softer part of the song plays, Zev leans back up and turns to face Max again, placing a hand on his shoulder. He moves around to the back side of the chair, gliding his fingers over Max's skin. Once behind the chair, he slides his hands down Max's chest.

Garrett, counting steps in his head to the song, stands and flips his chair to have the back of it face the two dancers. He sits so he is straddling the back, and grinds against the chair, lifting himself a little, in mock sexual frustration.

As the chorus starts again, Zevran “notices” Garrett's struggle and leaves Max's side and leans against the back of Garrett's chair, ass in Max's face. Max turns his chair to sit and face Zev's butt.

Zevran leans up and allows Garrett to flip his chair around so that it mirror's Max's, and Zevran performs the same bit on him. Grinding against his leg, Zev puts his arms around Garrett's neck.

_Can we do it 'til we both look crazy_

“And now,” Zevran whispers, as both Garrett and Max stand and mime ripping off their tear away shirts. Max is holding Zevran's back and Garrett is holding the front.

_Baby, you know I'm from Atlanta, and they raised me like a pimp_

On the “know”, both Garrett and Max simultaneously kick the chairs behind them with enough force to push the chairs backwards across the stage.

Max pushes on Zevran's back so that he lowers, and now Garrett and Max look at each other. One, two...

Both spin and drop to their knees as Zevran stands up straight.

_All I want to do is sex you_

Zev places a hand on each of their heads, and pushes.

_Have you had any good sex lately_

Both Max and Garrett lean with their bodies backwards so that they are almost laying on their backs, rocking with the rhythm.

_All these rain drops fallin' on my window_

In perfect sync, Garrett and Max use their upper body strength to flip themselves onto their stomachs and begin grinding against the floor, using their arms to keep their stomachs from the ground.

_Can I sex you, baby_

Sexual Push ups, Zev calls them. Garrett agrees.

Then as Zevran feels himself, both men lift up their body weight on one hand and flip themselves to a sitting position on the edge of the stage.

Finally they get to practice this on a stage...

They then scoot themselves back on to the stage with one fluid motion. Zev has already dropped to his knees by the time Max and Garrett hop up. They walk in unison to Zevran on the ground, each doing a little spin mid-walk.

Zevran slides against the floor and looks towards Garrett. Garrett can see the slight apprehension in his features before-

_Have Sex Have Sex_

Garrett and Max do a flip from where they are standing, in perfect sync. It is only the second time they have gotten this right.

Both can do the flip easily, it's landing back on the feet that was the issue.

But they nailed it this time.

Garrett sneaks a glance to Fenris and Seb in the audience and both are looking at him with a similar look.

Yeah, they are digging it.

Garrett and Max do some hand and feet work, gliding across the stage, as Zev stands back up.

The song ends, and Garrett counts the beats in his head to end with Zevran's leg against him and he leaning the skinnier man into Max.

Then, the tension breaks. And Garrett beams.

“That was amazing!” He exclaims.

Max is also grinning and gives Garrett a pat.

“We should stop practicing the flip and try not to jinx the mojo before tonight.” Zevran states, heading towards the boombox to switch it off.

“The verdict?” Max turns towards the two audience members.

“Well, I liked it.” Sebastian stands and begins walking to the stage. Fenris stands as well but looks directly at Garrett.

“Try not to watch your feet so much. This is a performance, and the audience should feel involved.” He then smirks and heads toward the door to the left of the stage that leads into the back rooms.

Garrett deflates. Well, so much for wowing him. Good advice, though.

“That's a good note, Hawke. Internalize that.” Max points at him.

That night, Garrett is practically bouncing off the walls.

“Can you hold still please?” Garrett sits in a plastic chair in front of a vanity mirror, while a very annoyed, red head is attempting to apply glitter eye shadow to his not-at-all closed lids.

“But I am so excited, Tallis. I can't stand it. It's my first show!”

"Tallis, don't try to contain him. It will only make him stronger." Garrett hears Aedan say next to him, his makeup already done.

"Being strong helps the show." Garrett states smugly.

“Yes, but you want to look good while being strong, right? Not look like just some meat-head?”

Garrett slumps a little.

“Yes.”

“Okay then. Let me make you pretty AND strong, ok?” Garrett holds his breath as the glitter is applied. “Ok, open them.”

Garrett opens his eyes and he looks phenomenal. “Oh wow, you've outdone yourself.” He hears Aedan chuckle.

Garrett leans in closer to the mirror for a closer inspection.

“Looking good, Hawke.” Varric is now in the dressing room, making his way towards a clip board hanging on the wall.

“Thank you, Varric. Everything good?”

“Yep. Just double checking the cues tonight, in case anyone-” he glares pointedly at Zevran, “changes them around.”

Garrett laughs, and turns back to look in the mirror. He hears another door open and looks up.

Fenris and Sebastian walk in wearing black vests and ties with black pants. No undershirt, so Garrett can see all of their ripply arm muscles. He whispers a silent thanks to the maker.

Their makeup highlights their chiseled jawline and fierce eyes and Garrett swoons. He sees Fenris' lips move.

They move again. He is looking at Garrett. Garrett? Garrett Hawke? Hawke?

“Hawke.” Garrett snaps out of his trance and looks up at Fenris. “I said you look nice.” He grins, and Garrett can hear Sebastian chuckle, from somewhere.

“Uh, thank you. You look great. Nice. You both look nice. You, too.” Stop your mouth, Garrett!

Fenris straight up laughs this time, and Garrett has never seen anything more beautiful. His laugh is gruff and scrapes against his ears in a satisfying way. Sebastian laughs like bells next to him.

Fuck, he's in trouble.

He hears a cough next to him in the other vanity chair. He turns to find the culprit and sees Aedan eyeing him. He looks... smug? Pleased? Like he fucking knew this would happen? Garrett gives him a look and he sees Aedan snicker. They will definitely have words later about not being obvious. However, Aedan seems to back off as another door opens.

“Ok people, places. It's time. Put that phone down, I'm talking.” Isabela steps into the room, dressed to the nines, in that same intricate corset he first saw her in. “Show time, let's move. After I get off, then its Stroud and Oriana, followed by the trio with our newest recruit, Hawke.” She turns and smiles at Garrett.

This is it. This is it. Yes. He's so pumped.

Isabela opens the door to the main stage and Garrett can hear the idle chatter of a very full audience. It feels just like his college days.

It's time to start the show.

Isabela's introduction was showy, and lively. Even though Garrett knows that she has done it a million times by this point, it's so energetic, it feels like it's the first time. The crowd is going bonkers.

First up was a couple that Hawke had seen rehearse once or twice. Stroud and Oriana. They were very athletic looking. And both very attractive. And both very good at ripping tear-away clothes off in sync.

He can't see how they re doing now, but judging from the sound of the crowd, he believes it's going well.

Stroud and Oriana are now off stage.

Oh.

Oh wait! It's his group's turn! He feels Max grab his arm.

"You ready, big boy?" Max says, a confident gleam to him.

"Y-yes."

"Try again."

"Yes!" He hears Zevran laugh behind him and it calms the butterflies in his stomach.

He is pushed through the door.

Immediately, he is hit with the smell of alcohol and fake fog. It's not a bad smell. Just different. And he is also hit with the size of the crowd.

The entire place is packed. Does this club do this well every night? The lights are dim and he can see almost to the back of the room. The bar is also crowded, and Garrett can see a smiling Merrill in the distance. Zevran guides him up the steps with Max in tow, and the minute they set foot on the actual stage, the crowd hushes.

Oh.

This is exhilarating.

Both he and Max grab the chairs that are prepped on the side of the stage and position them, as Zevran steps to the back.

Let's do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about the two teaser chapters in a row. Work has me exhausted by the time I get home, so I just go right to sleep. But I promise a LONG chapter is on the way. Might be a few days/a week or two. Garrett and Fenris have some bonding time in the next bit, and a nasty surprise happens. Find out next time on dragon ball z.


End file.
